A research program for the development of tetracarbonyliron complexes of alkenes, including Michael acceptors, for the synthesis of a number of compounds of biological, physiological, and nutritional importance is described. The general objectives of the program are: (a) the development of new approaches to the construction of complex molecules through regiospecific carbon-carbon bond formation and (b) the development of a new approach to the synthesis of enantiomerically pure or enriched compounds. Specific target molecules include: (a) estrone, (b) prostaglandin E1, (c) alpha-aminoacids, and (d) isotopically labeled fatty acids. The chemical methodology which will be developed involves two stages. In the first, nucleophilic attack on coordinated alkene of the pi-alkenetetracarbonyliron complex takes place with displacement of an ironcarbonyl anionic group. In the second stage, protonation or alkylation of the latter yields products in which a proton or acyl group, respectively, has replaced the iron carbonyl moiety. This scope of this reaction sequence will be defined with respect to nucleophile, electrophile, regiospecificity, and stereospecificity, and the results will be applied to practical syntheses of compounds important to the health sciences.